Chester city centre will see ‘Spring Bloom’ earlier this year as seven artists bring their interpretations of Cheshire nature into the city centre for a curated art trail.
The installations are set to launch on 19 February 2022 and will run through early spring until the end of March.
Spring Blooms follows the success of the Roving Moon, seen dotted across the city’s rooftops over the festive period as part of Chester Designed by Nature, a six-month community arts project launched by Destination Chester, with support from the European Regional Development Fund.
The project aims to embrace and explore the natural world that surrounds us through a programme of art, activities, performance, storytelling and large-scale sculptural installations. Each installation in the Spring Bloom campaign has been inspired by various aspects of nature from honeycomb, blossom, tree roots or bird song in an effort to rewild the city.
The artists will display their installations in one of the city’s most atmospheric and beautiful corners, with one installation even taking over a bus to encourage the use of ‘green’ transportation and another consisting of a portable stage that will sit within the city’s Cathedral gardens.
Destination Chester, a network of the city’s tourism partners, has commissioned the installations from outdoor arts specialists Wild Rumpus. The community team at Chester’s Storyhouse will be staging events alongside certain installations and will also run free half-term events at The Nest on Bridge Street.
Rowan Cannon, co-director, Wild Rumpus, said: ‘Spring Blooms is the grand finale to Chester Designed by Nature and we can’t wait for it to unfurl all across the city in a few weeks’ time. It’s all about celebrating nature in unexpected places and re-energising the city with the fresh shoots of Spring.
‘Our team of exceptionally talented artists have created seven sculptures and installations to find, including a murmuration of birds in the bandstand by the river and a bus filled to the brim with pink cherry blossom. And people can even rewild the Eastgate Clock on their phones using augmented reality.’
Jamie Christon, Chair, Destination Chester, said: ‘We’re hugely excited to be able to present this interesting new art trail from Chester Designed by Nature, which has been made possible by a grant from the European Regional Development Fund.
‘Destination Chester continues to be the single network representing the visitor economy in the city, making sure we continue to capitalise on the city’s offering, both through targeted marketing campaigns and through new initiatives like public art. We are delighted that through this destination marketing work, we are also supporting local creative communities, and giving young artists an opportunity to showcase their work to thousands of people’
